An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Nothingness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Here, there is nothing that is believed, so there is no one here who wants you to believe anything, either. Here, the invitation is to be free of all that you have been programmed, conditioned, acculturated, and domesticated to believe so that you can be free, period.
F.: [Continued from yesterday]
HOW THEY THINK
Yesterday's post discussed "doublethink" and "Group Think" and "blackwhite" and "truthiness" and the "collective, public mind." Each is as much an illusion as the concept of "conventional wisdom."
Any belief or idea that is part of the collective "conventional wisdom" amounts to nothing more than a part of the accumulated body of ignorance that has been learned by the masses and taken to be truth, and each such belief or idea is evidence of the duality that dominates the thinking of the "mind"-driven masses.
Understanding those terms leads to an understanding of "the mind of the masses" and how the non-Realized think, namely, in a flawed, illogical, unreasonable manner as a result of programming and conditioning, a.k.a., "brainwashing." Once brainwashing happens, then that "watering down" guarantees a constant sea-change...guarantees instability, fluctuation, and chaos.
Maharaj said, "The entire purpose of a...well-ordered life is to liberate man from the thralldom of chaos and the burden of sorrow" and clarified by noting, "There is no chaos in the world, except the chaos which your mind creates."
He said, "What you think to be the world is your own mind" and made clear that, post-Realization, he entered into a no-mind state (and, therefore, a no-thought, no-thinking state). He addressed that in the following exchange:
Questioner: "How does one go beyond the mind?"
Maharaj: "There are many starting points - they all lead to the same goal. You may begin with selfless work, abandoning the fruits of action; you may then give up thinking...."
Why do that?
Maharaj: "Nothing you can see, feel, or think is so" and "All thinking is in duality." He said, "You are, and yet you are not what you think yourself to be." He also revealed what no-thought, spontaneous functioning looked like in "action": "I do not stop to think what to do. I act and move on."
He said, "Sensations as such, however strong, do not cause suffering. It is the mind bewildered by wrong ideas, addicted to thinking." He explained, "The [not yet pure or the subject-object] witness creates the person and thinks itself as separate from it."
The result of abandoning the mind and thinking, he taught, is an ability to merely be: "Just be. Having seen that you are neither the 'outer' world of perceivables, nor the 'inner' world of thinkables, that you are neither body nor mind - just be."
HOW THEY TALK
In their sleep. (End of story there.)
HOW THEY BEHAVE
The thinking that is typical among the masses leaves them...
...driven by the unchecked egotism and narcissism and self-absorption that accompanies the assumption of ego-states as identities or...
...driven by fears of such proportion and of such darkness that they often reach phobic proportions. That triggers the fight or flight syndrome, and the fights have become, relatively speaking, of an often-fatal character; or...
...driven by personality-entrenched desires.
The various combinations of egotism, fear of loss, and desire for gain drive persons to behave under certain circumstances in ways that are evidence of extreme cruelty, needless violence, and even baseless savagery.
Maharaj taught that "a man who no longer thinks in terms of loss and gain is the truly non-violent man, for he is beyond all conflict," meaning that violence is rooted in thinking in terms of loss and gain. And what thinks in terms of loss and gain? Personas, false identities.
He also said: "When you do not think yourself to be this or that, all conflict ceases." Yet persons, by definition, think of themselves—of their false selves—constantly. High blood pressure is often referred to as "the silent killer"; personality is a killer as well, sometimes operating with silence, sometimes operating with noisy rage, but always driving the non-Realized to behave in destructive ways, relatively speaking.
The reference to "extreme cruelty, needless violence, and baseless savagery" will, again, seem too harsh to those who would believe that "humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation" (as one of the big names puts it).
"A world"? "Something personal that can be improved"? So much for the claim that one studied Maharaj and "understood his message." Yet any objective witness could study either historical facts or current facts to see that cruelty, violence, and savagery are the stamp and trademark of many "individual relationships";
of ideological and religious conflict; and of international conflicts—all rooted in persona-based beliefs about loss and / or gain and / or desire among the parties involved in any given conflict.
More on that tomorrow.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
HOW THEY THINK
Yesterday's post discussed "doublethink" and "Group Think" and "blackwhite" and "truthiness" and the "collective, public mind." Each is as much an illusion as the concept of "conventional wisdom."
Any belief or idea that is part of the collective "conventional wisdom" amounts to nothing more than a part of the accumulated body of ignorance that has been learned by the masses and taken to be truth, and each such belief or idea is evidence of the duality that dominates the thinking of the "mind"-driven masses.
Understanding those terms leads to an understanding of "the mind of the masses" and how the non-Realized think, namely, in a flawed, illogical, unreasonable manner as a result of programming and conditioning, a.k.a., "brainwashing." Once brainwashing happens, then that "watering down" guarantees a constant sea-change...guarantees instability, fluctuation, and chaos.
Maharaj said, "The entire purpose of a...well-ordered life is to liberate man from the thralldom of chaos and the burden of sorrow" and clarified by noting, "There is no chaos in the world, except the chaos which your mind creates."
He said, "What you think to be the world is your own mind" and made clear that, post-Realization, he entered into a no-mind state (and, therefore, a no-thought, no-thinking state). He addressed that in the following exchange:
Questioner: "How does one go beyond the mind?"
Maharaj: "There are many starting points - they all lead to the same goal. You may begin with selfless work, abandoning the fruits of action; you may then give up thinking...."
Why do that?
Maharaj: "Nothing you can see, feel, or think is so" and "All thinking is in duality." He said, "You are, and yet you are not what you think yourself to be." He also revealed what no-thought, spontaneous functioning looked like in "action": "I do not stop to think what to do. I act and move on."
He said, "Sensations as such, however strong, do not cause suffering. It is the mind bewildered by wrong ideas, addicted to thinking." He explained, "The [not yet pure or the subject-object] witness creates the person and thinks itself as separate from it."
The result of abandoning the mind and thinking, he taught, is an ability to merely be: "Just be. Having seen that you are neither the 'outer' world of perceivables, nor the 'inner' world of thinkables, that you are neither body nor mind - just be."
HOW THEY TALK
In their sleep. (End of story there.)
HOW THEY BEHAVE
The thinking that is typical among the masses leaves them...
...driven by the unchecked egotism and narcissism and self-absorption that accompanies the assumption of ego-states as identities or...
...driven by fears of such proportion and of such darkness that they often reach phobic proportions. That triggers the fight or flight syndrome, and the fights have become, relatively speaking, of an often-fatal character; or...
...driven by personality-entrenched desires.
The various combinations of egotism, fear of loss, and desire for gain drive persons to behave under certain circumstances in ways that are evidence of extreme cruelty, needless violence, and even baseless savagery.
Maharaj taught that "a man who no longer thinks in terms of loss and gain is the truly non-violent man, for he is beyond all conflict," meaning that violence is rooted in thinking in terms of loss and gain. And what thinks in terms of loss and gain? Personas, false identities.
He also said: "When you do not think yourself to be this or that, all conflict ceases." Yet persons, by definition, think of themselves—of their false selves—constantly. High blood pressure is often referred to as "the silent killer"; personality is a killer as well, sometimes operating with silence, sometimes operating with noisy rage, but always driving the non-Realized to behave in destructive ways, relatively speaking.
The reference to "extreme cruelty, needless violence, and baseless savagery" will, again, seem too harsh to those who would believe that "humans are on the verge of creating a new world by a personal transformation" (as one of the big names puts it).
"A world"? "Something personal that can be improved"? So much for the claim that one studied Maharaj and "understood his message." Yet any objective witness could study either historical facts or current facts to see that cruelty, violence, and savagery are the stamp and trademark of many "individual relationships";
of ideological and religious conflict; and of international conflicts—all rooted in persona-based beliefs about loss and / or gain and / or desire among the parties involved in any given conflict.
More on that tomorrow.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
[THE YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGER FORMATS BELOW WHICH MIGHT PROVIDE MORE COMFORTABLE VIEWING FOR SOME SITE VISITORS]
Now you can receive for $40 a downloadable computer file version of the same 7-hour satsang that seekers receive when they visit for the Advaita Retreat with Floyd. You will be guided through the seven steps from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond).
For more information or to order, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
SIX WAYS THAT SEEKERS HAVE REALIZED:
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
For more information or to order, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
SIX WAYS THAT SEEKERS HAVE REALIZED:
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
You may visit The Official Website of Floyd Henderson for information on each book.
TRANSLATED ADVAITA EBOOKS AVAILABLE
Beginning today, the 11 Advaita eBooks listed at the end of this post are available in twenty-two non-English languages. If you are interested in purchasing an eBook in another language, click Contact Floyd to see if the language you prefer is available. Again, the quality of the translation cannot be guaranteed but it might make some pointers available to seekers that might not otherwise receive them. If you want to send a translated eBook to someone as a gift, that can also be arranged via the contact link above.
(Charges will include the regular price of the eBook + a US$10.00 translating fee.)
TO PAY FOR A TRANSLATION - US$10.00 - CLICK THE BUY BUTTON BELOW
(Contact Floyd before paying to be certain the language you prefer is available)
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
TRANSLATED ADVAITA EBOOKS AVAILABLE
Beginning today, the 11 Advaita eBooks listed at the end of this post are available in twenty-two non-English languages. If you are interested in purchasing an eBook in another language, click Contact Floyd to see if the language you prefer is available. Again, the quality of the translation cannot be guaranteed but it might make some pointers available to seekers that might not otherwise receive them. If you want to send a translated eBook to someone as a gift, that can also be arranged via the contact link above.
(Charges will include the regular price of the eBook + a US$10.00 translating fee.)
TO PAY FOR A TRANSLATION - US$10.00 - CLICK THE BUY BUTTON BELOW
(Contact Floyd before paying to be certain the language you prefer is available)
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA YOGA VIDEOS
Click on the arrow below to start Video One:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Two:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Three:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Four:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Five:
Please enter the silence of contemplation. ()
